LIRR Offers Frequent Service to U.S. Open Tennis, Aug. 23-Sept. 11

August 22nd, 2011

The LIRR is serving up aces with its frequent service to the U.S. Tennis Open. Trains will stop at the Mets-Willets Point Station for the qualifying rounds through the finals.

The train ride is just 19 minutes from Penn Station to the Mets-Willets Point Station. For those traveling from Long Island, the tennis stadium is just six minutes from Woodside, 17 minutes from Great Neck and 27 minutes from Port Washington.

The LIRR's special U.S. Open timetable, dated August 23-September 11, is available at terminals and stations and contains all the details on the LIRR's service offered to Mets-Willets Point Station for the qualifying rounds (August 23-August 26); Arthur Ashe Kids Day (August 27); right on through the finals on September 11.

Customers traveling to Mets-Willet Point Station from branches other than Port Washington can take the LIRR to Woodside Station, then transfer to a Port Washington Branch train. Since Mets-Willets Point Station is located in Fare Zone One, tickets to that zone from outlying stations are valid to Mets-Willets Point. However, customers must hold onto their ticket stubs and inform ticket collectors of their intention to travel to Mets-Willets Point.

Since on-board fares are higher, customers are advised to buy tickets in advance at ticket offices, ticket machines, or on-line through the LIRR's WebTicket service (allow five business days for delivery). Customers planning to attend more than one match, or planning to travel with other tennis fans, may want to purchase a Peak or Off-Peak Ten-Trip ticket.

Weekend CityTicket
New this year, customers attending weekend matches and events at the U.S. Open, and traveling to Mets-Willets Point Station from Penn Station and Queens Stations on the Port Washington Branch, can take advantage of the LIRR's CityTicket. Available only on Saturdays and Sunday for adults and children over 12 years of age, CityTicket is a same-day, one-way fare of just $3.75 -- a trip that otherwise carries a one-way charge of $5 from Zone 1 and $6.25 from Zone 3.

CityTicket is good for travel between Penn Station, Woodside and Mets-Willets Point and between the Queens stations on the Port Washington Branch (Flushing Main Street, Murray Hill, Broadway, Auburndale, Bayside, Douglaston and Little Neck) and Mets-Willets Point. It cannot be used to travel via trips from Brooklyn or Jamaica Station or any other branches. CityTicket is sold as a One Way or Round Trip ticket. It cannot be bought on board trains, but only from ticket windows or ticket machines located in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. It is good for direct travel only. Customers cannot change direction at transfer points and use it for free travel between the LIRR and subways or buses. Those traveling from points east, changing at Woodside, will have to pay the regular fare on weekends

Accessibility
LIRR Customers with mobility impairments who are traveling to the U.S. Open should travel to Woodside Station. At Woodside Station, which is ADA accessible, customers should transfer to a Flushing-bound #7 subway train to the Mets-Willets Point subway stop and use the Passarelle Ramp (boardwalk) to get to the U.S. Open.
To return to Woodside after the matches, customers with mobility impairments should board the #7 subway and travel one-stop to Flushing-Main Street Station. There, after a brief wait on the train, the subway will head to Woodside. This is necessary due to the location of the ramp, which will only permit access to the eastbound platform.

For additional information, contact the LIRR's Travel Information Center at 718-217-5477 (718-217-LIRR). If you are deaf or hard of hearing, use your preferred relay service provider or the free 711 relay to reach LIRR at 718-217-5477.